Means and method of detecting and preventing fraud.



Nmavs. PATBNTED FEB. 4, 1908.

B. A. EVANS.

MEANS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AND PREVBNTING FRAUD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 190e.

@Mam UZZCU' r EDWARD A. EvANs, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MEANS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AND PREVENTING FRAUD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1908.

Application nai February a. 190s. serial No. 300.049.

To all 'whom-'tt may concern.:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. EVANS, a 4citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented a certain new and useful.

Improvement in Means and Method for Detecting and Preventing Fraud, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to methods and means for preventing fraud in connection with documents or things which have value either Intrinsic or evidentml. f

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view of a bank check; Fig. 2, a view of, an identification card, Fig. 3, a view of a railroad mileage book, and Fig. 4,v a view of'a portion of a letter of credit.

Like parts are indicated by like letters of reference in all the figures.

My inventionv provides a simple and perfectly infallible means for imparting an into question y for purposes though not necessarily,

The scope of the invention Will be made clear by the description of the concrete exemplifications shown in the drawings. These examples show di'erent adaptations to luse of my invention, but upon analysis it will appear that the underlying principles are the same in all cases. It will furthermore be evident that these articular uses do not exhaust the possib Ityi-for applying the invention, Abut are described and set out merel of illustration. Figure 1 shows a bank check A, having thereon the signature B, of the maker, the amount to be paid C, and an identifying mark D. This mark is made -by the finger of the maker of the check and is preferably, placed upon the amount for which the checkfjis drawn. The mark may be made by moistening the end of the finger or 'the thumb with ink andso imprinting a mark upon the aper.' The linger mark ma also be meldet ough-the agency of an inkmg ribbon or carbon .paper or in any other desired manner.

tgenuineness of some operativev Dl'is an im rinted identifying finger mark, which, it wil he seen, has all oi' the individual characteristics ofthe other mark D. This willbe placed ordinarily upon the iden- 60 tifying card E which is kept. on file in the bank, and is used for the comparison of any checks that may come in from this particular drawer.

D2 represents a similar identifying finger mark on the check. 'l his means of identification will not ordinarily be employed where an identification is kept on ille. ln caso this method is used, the check will, ol course,

have to be sent to the drawer for ii'lcnt'ilica- 70 tion;

ln Fig. 3 an ordinary railroad mileage hook is shown, F representing the cover hearing the signature G, of the owner, andan imprinted identifying finger mark ll. J represents the mileage strip of any desired form. Ordinarily the person using the hook is obliged to place his name upon the back of thc portion ofthe strip. that the conductor or ticket agent tears and this may be done whenl my invention is employed. It will not, however, be necessary under all circumstances that the signature should appear at all as the identity of the user will be amply proven by the imprinted identifying fnger mark shown at H. Fig. brepresents'a letter of credit where the application of my invention will be obvi` ous. The letter may bear, as shown, the imprinted identifying mark K. The banker Who issues the letter of credit may in such case require the person to Whom the letter is issuedto make duplicate identifications and these or photographic copies thereof may be Atransmitted tothe banleris correspondents.

The possession of the letter of credit thus authenticated, together with the ability to duplicate the mark with the possibility of comparison of the mark so vmade with' the vsample or typical identification sent to the correspondent will be an absolute reventive .100 of-fraud. In many cases it woul probably be suflicient'for the person to whom the letter is issued to imprint the identifying mark on the letter at the time of its issuance and to duplicate the mark whenever required by any of the. correspondents. In such case the issuance of the letter by the banker would be a guarantyof the mark thereon and sullcient identificationuffor the person applying for money at any other correspondent bank. y

' The above will be sufficient to illustrate l the general purpose and scope of my inveni tion. It be apparent that itis capable of Y 4`a very Wide application in authenticating) or 'validating documents havingfava'lue either intrinsic; such for example, as a negotiable noteor check, or merely evidential. In

1 Y using they' ord value in connection with a i document, li intend jeither sort ofvvalue. It Will be understood thatl use the term ,inger mark a broad signification. The markl might ,be..impressed, Imade or imprinted on the 'document b'y the thumb or any other partof the hand though doubtless with less convenience. 'lhe `individuality of a person is infallibly .shown by the lineationsvof the skin of certain parts of the body. This lineation is markedly characteristic in the skin of the hand and particularly in the skin at the ball of the thumb oriinger. My invention contemplates applying a mark made by such an individually vcharacteristic part of the human `body to a document for the purposes the erasure of the figures could not be'eff'ected without erasing a portion of the identifying 'mark which, of course,the person tampering with the check Would be' absolutely unable to restore.

l claim:

in it-evidence for the payment of money or ot ler valuable 'thing'. having an .identifying ,characteristic associated therewith consisting of an imprinted fingery mark superimposed upon .an efectivefpart of said docu- 2. A; document bearingimatter constituting it a valid claim for the payment of money or other valuable thing which hasy associated effectively prevent rai-sing the check because 'i .35 l. A document bearing matter constitute lment `so that such part' cannot be changed Without detection.

therewith an identifying characteristic consist-ing ofthe imprinted finger mark-of one of the parties to said document,y said mark being superimposed'upon the indication of the money or valuable thing for Which said documentpurports to be a claim. l -EDWARDIA EVANS: Witnesses:

PnnorvAL H. TRUMAN,

. Hor/inn L. KRAFT. 

